Bridgeton pioneer., 1887-11-17
MURDER AT UNION
The Life Of an Old Woman
Foully Taken.

Thursday morning Mrs. Barbara
HANDLE, a woman fifty-fve years of
age, met her death in corn field on
her farm, about mile and half be-
low Union station, on the West Jersey
railroad, by gun shot, fired by
some one supposed to be George Dun
ham, her son-in-law. 1t was most
foul deed, and must have been com
mitted in cold blood. Early Thursday
morning Mrs. Handle left her house
and started for the corn field, some
distance away, to husk corn. After
that tin1e she was not seen by eny one
except the murderer.
Yesterday morning the body of the
woman was found by two farmers,
neighbors of the deceased. She was
lying about four feet from the fence,
with portion of her left arm shot
awsy, her breast nutilated with a
charge of heavy shot, large wound
on the top of the head and an ugly
triangular wound just over the ear, as
if made with some blunt instrument.
She was reclining in a partially stoop-
ing position, as though she had en-
deavored to grasp the fence to protect
her from the blows. Her clothing was
greatly soled, and her hair was dishev-
,eled and matted with blood. Her face
and clothing were also covered with
blood, and the ground bore evidences
of a struggle. The fence was covered
with bloody finger marks.
Who was the author of the terrible
deed? was the first question asked by
the shocked community when the sad
intelligence was made known. All
who was it? was the unanswerable
question All that was known was
that the womaa was dead, and there
was not single witness to the crime.
Suspicion fastened upon George Dun
ham. the husband of the'dead woman's
daughter. His actions were such as to
lead people to think he was the guilty
party. With these suspicious formed,
it was but 8. matter of course to place
him under arrest, and he will be held
until he is proved either guilty or
innocent.
Mrs. Kandte is a woman OF very vio-
lent temper, and has had very serious
uuarrels with her SON in law, who lives
upon the woman's farm. Some people
who know them we'll, believe that the
two met in the eorn-feld and COM
menced O. quarrel which aroused in
Dunham a passion which became SO
over powering that he lost all control
of himself and murdered the woman.
tOthers are of the opinion that Dun
sllam, who is known as generally
s5hiftless and good for nothing fellow,
dad mercenary motives for killing the
old lady. Mrs. Handle is the possessor
of two farms near Union and consid-
cradle quantity of property in other
places which amounts in all to over
$4,000, and as the daughter, the wife
of Bunham, is the only heir, it would
be perfectly natural for Durham to
believe that this money and property
would revert to his wife. Whether
these .coniectures are true or not the
people in that locality were very out
spoken to the reporters in their belief
that Dunham is the murderer Of the
old lady, and they are prepared to be-
Iieve that later events will prove these
assertions.
Mrs. HANDLE was well known by
persons in this city having only last
summer been employed here in one of
the canning factories. She is a step
sister to Elmer Jackson, the veteran
fish dealer. She has also a nephew
here who is employed by Capt. Terrell
as a coal cart driver.
George Dunham, who was arrested
Friday afternoon for the murder of
his mother-in-law, Mrs. Barbara Kan
die, is now confined in one of the cells
of the Gloucester county Jail at Wood
bury. The body of the victim of the
cruel outrage is,lying in its mangled
condition in the old farm house, ON
the farm upon which she was killed.
Saturday was q busy day with Coro-
ner Beach, and a detective named Ben
Franklin, who has taken the case in
hand. All day long the two with a
crowd of curious persons, wandered
over the farm to find additional dis